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Last post Author Topic: central addressbook software for syncing everything with everything  (Read 21360 times)

Stoic Joker

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Re: central addressbook software for syncing everything with everything
« Reply #25 on: November 21, 2013, 05:56 PM »
Years ago, I used to do it like you.  I imported everything manually into a standalone addressbook (I probably have several threads about it here) and then would periodically update it and export it to my phones and Outlook.

For me the manual bit is a singular event, I'm not going to signup to do shit periodically...that's the computer's job. :)

But this is where I'm getting a bit confused. It sounds like you configured connectors to live pull all of the contact info into the Exchange system. So that if you add/update a contact in FaceBook/Linked in/Gmail after the fact it will still (via the connector) share the new/updated info with all devices connected to Exchange's contact list. That would be fraught with turmoil as you say the Business Battle rages on.

My typical deployment is to centralize data scattered everywhere onto a single system, import all of the info into that system, and then to use it exclusively going forward. This way any and every thing that connects to it can/will get the same information set.

Do you actually need live sharing interactively between (FaceBook/Gmail/Linked in/Etc.) systems on an ongoing basis? Or do you just want/need a singular clean merger of all the contact info into a single contiguous block once so you can at all points work from there going forward?


SKA

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Re: central addressbook software for syncing everything with everything
« Reply #26 on: November 23, 2013, 07:53 PM »
As vcf is default in most phones, this may help to get,edit,manage vcfs from phones:

vCardOrganizer (USD25 for all versions)
http://www.micro-pro...dorganizer/index.htm

For sync : Handy Addressbook 7.1 + Google sync(USD40 approx):
http://www.beiley.co...ook/google_sync.html

Epicenter Server - Sync your Exchange GAL with BlackBerry,iPhone/iPad,Android (USD20/user)
http://www.connected...w.com/Overview/57261

Rgds
Ska
« Last Edit: November 23, 2013, 07:58 PM by SKA »

Stoic Joker

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Re: central addressbook software for syncing everything with everything
« Reply #27 on: November 24, 2013, 09:13 AM »
Epicenter Server - Sync your Exchange GAL with BlackBerry,iPhone/iPad,Android (USD20/user)
http://www.connected...w.com/Overview/57261

Wow! That looks really cool.

superboyac

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Re: central addressbook software for syncing everything with everything
« Reply #28 on: November 26, 2013, 11:16 AM »
Years ago, I used to do it like you.  I imported everything manually into a standalone addressbook (I probably have several threads about it here) and then would periodically update it and export it to my phones and Outlook.

For me the manual bit is a singular event, I'm not going to signup to do shit periodically...that's the computer's job. :)

But this is where I'm getting a bit confused. It sounds like you configured connectors to live pull all of the contact info into the Exchange system. So that if you add/update a contact in FaceBook/Linked in/Gmail after the fact it will still (via the connector) share the new/updated info with all devices connected to Exchange's contact list. That would be fraught with turmoil as you say the Business Battle rages on.

My typical deployment is to centralize data scattered everywhere onto a single system, import all of the info into that system, and then to use it exclusively going forward. This way any and every thing that connects to it can/will get the same information set.

Do you actually need live sharing interactively between (FaceBook/Gmail/Linked in/Etc.) systems on an ongoing basis? Or do you just want/need a singular clean merger of all the contact info into a single contiguous block once so you can at all points work from there going forward?
I was thinking about what you said, and you're probably right.  I'm just OCD'ing on it a bit too much I guess.  SO here's a question about your method (which is what I used to do):
Why do I even need exchange for this?  what advantage does it offer?

Because what you are essentially saying is that your going to export and import stuff until you have in one location (exchange), and then you just modify that going forward. But it doesn't matter if it's exchange, google contacts, apple, etc.  Because they're all the same as far as that goes.  the syncing is what would distinguish anything for me.  So then...what's the best one and why?

Also, if that was the case, then I'm willing to go for a third party contact manager and just divorce myself completely from the big boys.  Especially if the third party offered nifty features.  Otherwise my choices would be google contacts, exchange, windows live...in that order.  Google contacts just because my phone is android and would make it easier.

superboyac

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Re: central addressbook software for syncing everything with everything
« Reply #29 on: November 26, 2013, 03:29 PM »
Now I'm considering the "bring everything to one place" strategy.  I'm going to try the Handy Address Book software I used to like.  Supposedly it can sync with google contacts, so that's nice.  The whole setup overall will cost me $50 or $100 depending on if I need the server component or not.

superboyac

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Re: central addressbook software for syncing everything with everything
« Reply #30 on: November 26, 2013, 04:15 PM »
Epicenter Server - Sync your Exchange GAL with BlackBerry,iPhone/iPad,Android (USD20/user)
http://www.connected...w.com/Overview/57261

Wow! That looks really cool.
Yes it does!  I don't know how to make a GAL...but can I make a GAL that then gets shared with all my stuff?  I'll let go of the live sync too.  The important thing is the pictures...they need to get synced.  I realized that if not for pictures, this whole problem here would be like nothing.  There are a zillion ways to sync the information well without pictures.

superboyac

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Re: central addressbook software for syncing everything with everything
« Reply #31 on: November 26, 2013, 05:21 PM »
OK, here's another convoluted solution.

The address book that comes with Mac is pretty good with the links.  It has built in linkedin, facebook photo pulling and merging.  So I can use the Mac address book as my central addressbook, and deploy it to my devices from there using the apple mobileme etc.

superboyac

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Re: central addressbook software for syncing everything with everything
« Reply #32 on: December 03, 2013, 03:59 PM »
After some more research, the ONLY common format for exporting and importing contacts with pictures is vCard. 

Stoic Joker

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Re: central addressbook software for syncing everything with everything
« Reply #33 on: December 04, 2013, 08:15 PM »
Because what you are essentially saying is that your going to export and import stuff until you have in one location (exchange), and then you just modify that going forward. But it doesn't matter if it's exchange, google contacts, apple, etc.  Because they're all the same as far as that goes.  the syncing is what would distinguish anything for me.  So then...what's the best one and why?

Also, if that was the case, then I'm willing to go for a third party contact manager and just divorce myself completely from the big boys.  Especially if the third party offered nifty features.  Otherwise my choices would be google contacts, exchange, windows live...in that order.  Google contacts just because my phone is android and would make it easier.

Sorry about the delay, I'm trying to get IT wound down to a dull roar for a 3 week Christmas vacation...and the staff seems intent on making that as hard as possible. Ggaaaaaaaa!

Anyhow.. I've been running an Exchange server for close to a decade now and as crotchety as the old one got right before getting decommissioned it was still reliable as hell. We have several flavors of Android, a few iPhones, and me still with the WP7. All of which are stone axe reliably connected to our Exchange (now 2010) server. The sales manager - who I hold personally responsible (just to be an ass) for killing our Exchange 2003 server with his 8GB mailbox - is constantly glued to his (Android) phone with all the ferocity of a teenage girl. Yet with the insane amount of information that he pours through the system... His phone, computer, tablets, and laptop all stay happily in sync.

I don't trust Google, and have had some very bad experiences with their IMO rather feeble attempt at a mail server administration interface. I gave it a good, fair, and enthusiastic attempt...and it just burned me over and over.

1. A freshly created empty mailbox should never corrupt. Test messages went through in both directions, were deleted, and from the next day forward mail could not be sent from that box regardless of what was tried.

2. Delete means delete (e.g. eradicate), not play peek-A-boo with me because it's not really gone entirely...as it's still there in "spirit"...which is why you can't recreate a fresh one with that name.

3. Telling me to "Just use a different variation and/or add a 1 to "resolve the issue" is an incredibly bad idea...especially after the client has just spent a fortune on letterhead (etc...) with the now burnt cookie address.


I finally gave up after a year of trying to get one of our customers Google hosted mail domain to fly straight, and let them go back to using Yahoo accounts.


3rd party solutions can be effective only if you self host. Yes that is my own prejudice speaking...but it really is next to impossible to get a good idea of exactly how large/stable a company really is on the internet. So I try to avoid betting-the-farm on solutions that may vaporize overnight.

Apple solutions are designed to work fine in iWorld, but the instant you try to stray from "the path", you end up getting tech support from Goldie Hawn (a cute vapid blond from the 60's/70's).

superboyac

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Re: central addressbook software for syncing everything with everything
« Reply #34 on: December 05, 2013, 05:05 PM »
Because what you are essentially saying is that your going to export and import stuff until you have in one location (exchange), and then you just modify that going forward. But it doesn't matter if it's exchange, google contacts, apple, etc.  Because they're all the same as far as that goes.  the syncing is what would distinguish anything for me.  So then...what's the best one and why?

Also, if that was the case, then I'm willing to go for a third party contact manager and just divorce myself completely from the big boys.  Especially if the third party offered nifty features.  Otherwise my choices would be google contacts, exchange, windows live...in that order.  Google contacts just because my phone is android and would make it easier.

Sorry about the delay, I'm trying to get IT wound down to a dull roar for a 3 week Christmas vacation...and the staff seems intent on making that as hard as possible. Ggaaaaaaaa!

Anyhow.. I've been running an Exchange server for close to a decade now and as crotchety as the old one got right before getting decommissioned it was still reliable as hell. We have several flavors of Android, a few iPhones, and me still with the WP7. All of which are stone axe reliably connected to our Exchange (now 2010) server. The sales manager - who I hold personally responsible (just to be an ass) for killing our Exchange 2003 server with his 8GB mailbox - is constantly glued to his (Android) phone with all the ferocity of a teenage girl. Yet with the insane amount of information that he pours through the system... His phone, computer, tablets, and laptop all stay happily in sync.

I don't trust Google, and have had some very bad experiences with their IMO rather feeble attempt at a mail server administration interface. I gave it a good, fair, and enthusiastic attempt...and it just burned me over and over.

1. A freshly created empty mailbox should never corrupt. Test messages went through in both directions, were deleted, and from the next day forward mail could not be sent from that box regardless of what was tried.

2. Delete means delete (e.g. eradicate), not play peek-A-boo with me because it's not really gone entirely...as it's still there in "spirit"...which is why you can't recreate a fresh one with that name.

3. Telling me to "Just use a different variation and/or add a 1 to "resolve the issue" is an incredibly bad idea...especially after the client has just spent a fortune on letterhead (etc...) with the now burnt cookie address.


I finally gave up after a year of trying to get one of our customers Google hosted mail domain to fly straight, and let them go back to using Yahoo accounts.


3rd party solutions can be effective only if you self host. Yes that is my own prejudice speaking...but it really is next to impossible to get a good idea of exactly how large/stable a company really is on the internet. So I try to avoid betting-the-farm on solutions that may vaporize overnight.

Apple solutions are designed to work fine in iWorld, but the instant you try to stray from "the path", you end up getting tech support from Goldie Hawn (a cute vapid blond from the 60's/70's).
Thanks Stoic, this is really helpful.  I was picking the brain of another friend of mine who is familiar with business tech and the corporate world, and like you, he also has a quite high distrust of google.  I haven't had any bad experiences, but everything I do is just me or my tiny business, so for me the experience is basically logging into gmail and that's it.

I still really liked the Exchange solution.  But I did not like how inconsistent MS was with the features for the address book, and the fact that some really cool things work online but NOT in desktop outlook.  I hate that so much.  Why force me to only enjoy the desktop online experience?

Office 365 online:
Good contacts manager, syncs with Facebook and Linkedin. 

Windows Live online:
Also great.  Not exactly the same as office365 but 90% the same (weird).  Syncs with Facebook and linkedin, but only online.

Exchange or Outlook on desktop:
My preferred option for management.  BUT, no facebook or linkedin support.  And don't bother setting up linkedin/facebook online because it won't appear anywhere else anyway.

superboyac

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Re: central addressbook software for syncing everything with everything
« Reply #35 on: December 05, 2013, 05:16 PM »
Stoic, regarding your sales manager.  He must have a ton of contacts in linkedin and facebook.  How does he keep everything synchronized?  My suspicion is he uses his phone and that's it.  He doesn't care if it shows up on outlook or something.  true?

But now you got me thinking again.  If our distrust of google is valid (I believe so), then I'd like to store my contacts on MS Exchange.

question 1)...I know I can store photos on the GAL.  Will the photos show up on an Android phone?

question 2)...I am using the Touchdown app for Exchange access on my phone currently.  When I open up the GAL, the full list doesn't appear as it does in Outlook.  If I search, I can search, but the list does not appear.  I imagine this is because it's huge (thousands of people), so to load it in would be bad?  Is that the case?  Because frankly, I'd like to load the whole thing in and be able to browse and scroll through it like on the desktop.

Stoic Joker

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Re: central addressbook software for syncing everything with everything
« Reply #36 on: December 06, 2013, 12:40 PM »
Stoic, regarding your sales manager.  He must have a ton of contacts in linkedin and facebook.  How does he keep everything synchronized?  My suspicion is he uses his phone and that's it.  He doesn't care if it shows up on outlook or something.  true?

Not necessarily ... You see unfortunately I've been rather vocal (BOFH brand hostile) regarding all things Social Networking around here. So most folks are afraid to use it, in fear of reprisal. Honestly...(We're switching carriers and all getting new phones)...I just found out a few minutes ago that the owner really wanted an iPhone, but ordered an Android instead because they were afraid to ask me if the iPhone was ok. However irrational hatred aside... I ok'd the iPhone because we really do need somebody around here to have one for testing purposes ... And I'm sure as shit not going to carry the damn thing (It is so getting hacked to death - Muhahah).


But now you got me thinking again.  If our distrust of google is valid (I believe so), then I'd like to store my contacts on MS Exchange.

question 1)...I know I can store photos on the GAL.  Will the photos show up on an Android phone?

Hm... I don't know. THE GAL is available by default on an Android, but the photos showing up part is really up to whatever client software is running/handling it on the phone.


question 2)...I am using the Touchdown app for Exchange access on my phone currently.  When I open up the GAL, the full list doesn't appear as it does in Outlook.  If I search, I can search, but the list does not appear.  I imagine this is because it's huge (thousands of people), so to load it in would be bad?  Is that the case?  Because frankly, I'd like to load the whole thing in and be able to browse and scroll through it like on the desktop.

Mind you I'm guessing here...but I got the impression from the Office 365 site that there was an Android port of MS Office mobile ... But I could be completely off my nut on that one.

IIRC Touchdown was a necessary evil a few generations back before there was a native Droid/Exchange option. Most of the staff in using Droids of one flavor or the other, but they are all on the whatever came in-the-box Email client for the Exchange connection. And I haven't heard any can't find GAL listed address complaints in the (post Touchdown era) last couple years.

I've got one of the guy's here experimenting with the Droid/Outlook/pictures think to see if we can get it working.

superboyac

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Re: central addressbook software for syncing everything with everything
« Reply #37 on: December 06, 2013, 03:43 PM »
Thanks for the details Stoic, you are really helping me get through this.

I didn't know that about Touchdown.  I'll try using the stock account manager and see if I like it better.  I was under the impression that only touchdown could do exchange.

I'm also going to try playing around with pictures and Outlook this weekend, in conjunction with some Mac stuff.

After reading your details, perhaps this is the best method of management:
1) get all the contacts from the social networks exported.  I would probably use the Mac and vcard export for this, since that would be the only way to do it in one shot.
2) import all these into Outlook.  Clean everything up.
3) Sync this to whatever Microsoft allows and get it on your phone.  From here on, manage everything with just your phone and outlook.  for new linkedin or facebook contacts, periodically update with a export/import.

That seems to be the best plan so far.

superboyac

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Re: central addressbook software for syncing everything with everything
« Reply #38 on: December 17, 2013, 04:25 PM »
Stoic, I have some more Exchange questions for you:

1) Can Exchange import vcards with photos?
2) Can Exchange export vcards with photos?
3) Can Exchange use vcards from Mac Addressbooks (apparently the format is different from regular vcard)


Thanks!
----
[edit]
found this:
Bring all of your contacts together in one place:  People’s professional networks span many different places.  You will have the ability to enable users to bring their contacts in from other networks so that they have all of their information in one place.  Exchange will even find the same person across networks and consolidate their information into one contact card, avoiding duplication and multiple contact cards with different information. 
OK..this is what I don't get.  The "People" feature that's on the exchange online system is good, in that it syncs with different services.  but that information can't be shared on the phone (android) OR even desktop Outlook.  So how does this help me except for when I'm using the service through the desktop web access through the browser?
« Last Edit: December 18, 2013, 01:16 PM by superboyac »

Stoic Joker

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Re: central addressbook software for syncing everything with everything
« Reply #39 on: December 24, 2013, 07:52 AM »
Sorry for the delay, I've been in vacation mode.

Unfortunately, I don't know. I spend most of my time with the backend systems, and really don't have very complex needs for the interface. I'm actually currently trying to figure out a new Windows 8 phone...which seems to have some rather interesting new restrictions on what I can do with my contacts. I suspect I'm doing something wrong, but have as of yet not ascertained what exactly that is.

superboyac

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Re: central addressbook software for syncing everything with everything
« Reply #40 on: December 26, 2013, 01:43 AM »
Sorry for the delay, I've been in vacation mode.

Unfortunately, I don't know. I spend most of my time with the backend systems, and really don't have very complex needs for the interface. I'm actually currently trying to figure out a new Windows 8 phone...which seems to have some rather interesting new restrictions on what I can do with my contacts. I suspect I'm doing something wrong, but have as of yet not ascertained what exactly that is.
The WP8 should be really good with contacts, the best I've seen among iOS, Android, and Windows.  It can use the facebook, linkedin, and custom Windows live contacts while merging (linking) them properly.  Pretty slick.  What is your problem exactly?

The weird thing is that those nice services are only available on the WP8 phone, and on the desktop browser login version.  If you try it with Outlook, android, ios, etc. those links will not work and instead you will only get the custom windows live contacts (things not tied to other services, usually numbers entered in the phone manually).  I wonder if your issue is related to that.

SKA

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Re: central addressbook software for syncing everything with everything
« Reply #41 on: January 06, 2014, 08:29 PM »
Sync PIM data with multiple devices:
http://funambol.com/...upported-devices.php

Ska